Rot-Weiss Essen needs the city’s approval to expand the four corners of the stadium on Hafenstrasse. This is the current situation.

The starting position is clear. Rot-Weiss Essen will manage to stay in the 3rd division for the second year in a row. The stadium is almost always full and has reached its natural limits.

So far this season, an average of 16,266 spectators have attended the 15 home matches. The club would therefore like to see the four open corners closed. This would mean that RWE could offer 26,600 standing and seating places. Additional revenue in the millions should be possible for the club.

Lord Mayor Thomas Kufen also supports the project. Last year, he recommended that the council release planning funds for the expansion. On Wednesday (March 13), the city announced that the planning resolution had been reintroduced for discussion at the meeting – for an amount of 1.15 million euros.

A decision is to be made in April as to whether the planning resolution will be waved through. Until then – and this is a requirement of the city – the issue of the stadium lease in particular must be addressed. The current lease agreement between the city and RWE runs until June 30, 2027.

A new lease must therefore be drawn up, albeit independently of the stadium expansion. This would then run for ten years and would cost RWE significantly more. To date, the operating costs, which amount to over one million euros, have been borne by GVE. The operating costs would also increase and the club would have better marketing potential with a larger capacity, which would also be taken into account in the new lease.

According to the WAZ, RWE currently pays 390,000 euros in rent per season, plus a flexible share based on the number of spectators. The new lease should therefore amount to 900,000 euros per year.

The city’s announcement states: “Once the planning has been completed and a new lease agreement has been signed, the city council could then decide to start construction on the expansion of the stadium on Hafenstrasse.”

The fact is: Only if the stadium is expanded would it be possible to host international matches in Essen. The costs for the project are also known; a feasibility study was carried out in 2023. Around 25 million euros are due for the expansion of the corners